Documents: Lois Lerner Was Directly Involved in Targeting Program

town Hall ^ | May 24, 2013 | Guy Benson

[EXCH54FE]

Not to fear, America -- she's been placed on "administrative leave," a terribly severe form of discipline that's effectively tantamount to paid vacation. At this week's House Oversight Committee hearing, Lerner (sort of) invoked her fifth amendment rights and refused to answer any questions. She claimed she's done "nothing wrong," which explains why she's reportedly refusing to resign. Question, though: Might Lerner be a relatively innocent patsy in all of this (a la the Benghazi scapegoat)? Er, probably not, via National Review:

A series of letters suggests that senior IRS official Lois Lerner was directly involved in the agency’s targeting of conservative groups as recently as April 2012, more than nine months after she first learned of the activity. Lerner, the director of the IRS exempt organizations office in Washington, D.C., signed cover letters to 15 conservative organizations currently represented by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) between in March and April of 2012. The letters, such as this one sent to the Ohio Liberty Council on March 16, 2012, informed the groups applying for tax-exempt status that the IRS was “unable to make a final determination on your exempt status without additional information,” and included a list of detailed questions of the kind that a Treasury inspector general’s audit found to be inappropriate. Some of the groups to which Lerner sent letters are still awaiting approval. Lerner has denied involvement in the targeting, which she has blamed on a few “front-line people” in the agency’s Cincinnati field office.

The timing of her letters coincide with the appearance of former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman before Congress in March 2012 who testified that no such targeting scheme existed. It appears Lerner did nothing to stop the abusive conduct.

[presently no screen name]

A woman scorned and all that.

I'm not sure she's scorned but simply of the same mindset. So w/that mindset and her history, she was placed at the IRS to fulfill her needs as it did his.

[presently no screen name]

Exactly. According to their agenda, they did the right thing by it. Their agenda is their 'law for the land'. they did do "nothing wrong", as in attacking conservatives anywhere and everywhere is the correct thing to do!

[tennmountainman]

Issa has not mentioned that he made a follow up call or meeting.
But he has said that the IG had a statutory time limited date to release the
report and did not meet it’s obligation
So, I am curious, why Issa did not conduct hearings before the elections
to at least put the IRS on notice that the oversight committee of which
he is Chairman was going to do its own investigation and put a stop to
targeting Tea Party groups, when hundreds of Tea Party groups could
have made a difference in the elections. Many of us believe that GOPe’s
Along with the Rats do not want Tea Party groups to participate with more
influence.

[presently no screen name]

OK. I see your point. But we don't know to the full extent of his effort to get the report. By the middle of '12 - the Tea Party wouldn't have had time to get established to get good results. But barry and boys still weren't sure they would win - so they had their 'fraud' set to work, anyway.

Many of us believe that GOPe’s Along with the Rats do not want Tea Party groups to participate with more influence.

Anyone who believes the Gope DOES want the TP to participate are deaf, dumb and blind - because not only did the GOPe say it - their actions against them were quite visible and can not be denied and that hasn't changed since AUGUST of 2008!

[tennmountainman]

Don’t you think if Issa had tried to get that report he would have said so?
He would be beating his chest. By his omission, that tells me he did nothing but blame the IG.

[miserare]

BUMP.

[ncfool]

Congress should move it to pay per view and use the proceeds to retire the deficit.

[hoosiermama]

FOX news just had a tease of a program investigating how the union fit into the IRS shoe. Think it’s on tomorrow AM. Was busy not paying attention
If anyone see more detail please post.

Have said all along Colleen Kelly the pres of the union is the link between the IRS and all other harrassing agencies. Her meeting with potus the day before the bolo was created will be a problem for her

[onyx]

Thanks. I can’t watch any news while someone is still awake.

:)

[hoosiermama]

Fell asleep in the chair waiting for it to come on Again. Sometime Sat. Maybe they will play it several times this weekend